History Fridge / MagicTheGathering

* "Dread Pirate" Angrath is seen twice, and both times he is alone. [[https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/ten-burning-questions-ixalan-story-2017-10-25 When we learn about his backstory]] it becomes pretty obvious he actually ''doesn't'' have one, [[TearJerker and the reason why he doesn't want any bonds with people on that plan]].

* Jace's WorldOfCardboardSpeech in https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/something-else-entirely-2017-10-04 helps explain the odd GameplayAndStorySegregation surrounding Jace's power level. The most broken Jace cards represent him back when he was more amoral and had fewer scruples about using his telepathy to destroy or reshape other's minds. More recently, however, he has been making an effort to avoid using those aspects of his powers, due to the moral implications. Thus his portrayal as something of a weakling in modern Magic story: He was deliberately avoiding resorting to his most powerful abilities if at all possible.

* Razaketh accused the other demons who signed the contract to be too straightforward, and was also the first one able to answer to Liliana. Now, compare their abilities: all of them cost you life, but while Kothoped and Griselbrand are draw engines, Razaketh allows you to tutor, effectively a subtler way to get card, and better to find answers. His demise is also fitting: Liliana's card are centered around reanimation, affecting other player graveyards as well as your own, while Razaketh requires you to sacrifice your own creatures, meaning that if you can't keep the engine going to keep answering your own graveyard is giving a Liliana player extra tools. That's exactly what happens in the story: Razaketh starts killing ''a lot'' of creatures, Liliana then has the Gatewatch wear him down and finishes him with the reanimated corpses of the creatures Razaketh killed.** On a side note to that, Liliana does it to show her own power, without having to use the veil, and she is basically using her ultimate ability from the original card, before the Chain Veil storyline.

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** [[spoiler: As it's now, Avacyn's been unmade (and, not being an angel, won't come back) and Sorin is unable to do anything. Not fun thoughts. Also, the rage Sorin will unleash after he'll free himself is another horrific thought.]]

** My basic thought upon seeing the various "seals" of Ravnica (which were basically instants like Terror and Shock redone as enchantments that would have the effect when sacrificed) was "hmm, vaguely interesting, but it does mean the opponent knows what's coming". Then I remembered one of the guilds of Ravnica thrives on having no cards in your hand, meaning that having a spell sitting out in the open in enchantment form waiting to be used is actually a tactical advantage. - @/CountDorku

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** My basic thought upon seeing the various "seals" of Ravnica (which were basically instants like Terror and Shock redone as enchantments that would have the effect when sacrificed) was "hmm, vaguely interesting, but it does mean the opponent knows what's coming". Then I remembered one of the guilds of Ravnica thrives on having no cards in your hand, meaning that having a spell sitting out in the open in enchantment form waiting to be used is actually a tactical advantage. - @/CountDorku

* [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=107327 Bronze Bombshell]] seems to be a fairly obvious pun on "blonde bombshell" that happens to actually be a bombshell. But why is it an artifact creature? It's an objectified woman. {{@/Chimaera}}* The Helvault is like Pandora's Box. It contains all the evil in the world. Once opened, all the evil comes out along with hope. Which in this case means Avacyn. @/{{PMiller1}}

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* [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=107327 Bronze Bombshell]] seems to be a fairly obvious pun on "blonde bombshell" that happens to actually be a bombshell. But why is it an artifact creature? It's an objectified woman. {{@/Chimaera}}\n* The Helvault is like Pandora's Box. It contains all the evil in the world. Once opened, all the evil comes out along with hope. Which in this case means Avacyn. @/{{PMiller1}}

* "Hour of Devastation" preview cards show in no uncertain terms that the Gatewatch, the same Planeswalkers who defeated Ulamog and Kozilek on Zendikar, and who thwarted Tezzeret's schemes on Kaladesh, will be swatted like flies when Nicol Bolas shows up to claim Amonkhet. The Gatewatch were so insignificant to Emrakul that she does not really know if they exist, [[spoiler:and she sealed herself in the Moon because "it was not her time".]] Nicol Bolas is the most powerful Planeswalker in existence barring Ugin, he arranged for his time to come to reap Amonkhet, and he is not playing the role of TheChessmaster or playing the odds when making this choice - he took Amonkhet in the beginning by violence, and he will claim his prize by violence. Ajani was right to caution going against Nicol Bolas on his home-turf...

* The people of Amonkhet are divided into groups called Crops, which would key them in to the fact that the entire plane is basically one big PeopleFarm... if any of the living humans were familiar with agriculture. But all the farmwork is done by mummies, so the original meaning of the word has been lost.

* Both [[LightIsNotGood Light Is Not (Necessarily) Good]] and [[DarkIsNotEvil Dark Is Not (Necessarily) Evil]] are in full effect in the Magic lore, and it's repeatedly both shown and narrated that all five colors are necessary for a healthy society/personality. With that in mind, the fact that each of the Tarkir Broods seems to have degenerated from their corresponding Clan makes a lot more sense: Each Brood has lost a color in the transition. And more than that, they lost their "enemy" color, the color that was intended to counterbalance the other two's shared flaws. No wonder they don't measure up to the Clans.

* Out of all the Eldrazi on Zendikar, only 3 ever start with the letter "A" [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=193429]][[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=407550]][[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=401803]]. All these cards have something else in common besides starting letter: creation, be it of more Scions or of things from your graveyard. And what letter is associated with creation? The Greek letter Α, or alpha. Everything else is [[IncrediblyLamePun merely means to the end.]]

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* Out of all the Eldrazi on Zendikar, only 3 ever start with the letter "A" [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=193429]][[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=407550]][[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=401803]]. All these cards have something else in common besides starting letter: creation, be it of more Scions or of things from your graveyard. And what letter is associated with creation? The Greek letter Α, or alpha. Everything else is [[IncrediblyLamePun merely means to the end.]]

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